Fan Perfectly Recreates Iconic SI Swim Photo of Stunning Elle Macpherson in St. Vincent

Lina Shek, swimwear brand founder and designer, left our jaws on the floor with her accurate costume.

Lina Shek and Elle Macpherson.Courtesy of Lina Shek and Robert Huntzinger/Sports Illustrated

Navy Ray swimwear founder and designer Lina Shek is a visionary. This year, she came up with the greatest Halloween costume and executed it perfectly. The Toronto-based model donned an asymmetrical one-shoulder black one-piece, pink and silver wrist bands and black snorkeling goggles. She posed with one arm by her side and another sneakily covering her bare chest and resting on her smile—sound familiar? 

SI Swimsuit legend Elle Macpherson did it first, in 1990 to be specific, while on location in St. Vincent with photographer Robert Huntzinger

The 59-year-old model has the most SI Swimsuit covers ever—she landed on the front of the 1986, ’87, ’88, ’94 and ’06 issues and appeared in the magazine 10 separate years, starting with her debut in Australia in ’85.

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“Recreating Elle Macpherson’s iconic style was an absolute honor, and I’m grateful to celebrate her influence,” Shek tells SI Swimsuit. “When I first thought of it, there was no doubt in my mind about whom I wanted to pay homage to. Elle’s exceptional legacy in the world of swimwear is defined by her remarkable achievement of gracing the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue a record five times and her affectionate nickname, ‘The Body.’ I was incredibly excited to recreate such an iconic shot, and as a swimwear designer, bringing this look to life was a breeze. The final product turned out quite well.”

The entrepreneur added that instead of wearing swim goggles, she used her own ski goggles to honor her Canadian roots.

Lina Shek.

Courtesy of Lina Shek

“Trick or treat? 🖤 #halloween #happyhalloween #siswimsuit,” she captioned a side-by-side photo of Macpherson’s iconic snap and her own recreation on Instagram.

“Love it 😍,” Christopher Bates commented.

“The best 😍🔥🔥🔥,” Danielle Knudson added.

“THIS IS GOLD,” Mila Marie chimed.

“Incredibly amazing,” one fan gushed. “It looks so authentic ❤️.”

“you win halloween,” another declared.

Macpherson, a native of Australia, launched her Elle Macpherson Inc., enterprise in 1994, and has since created several different ventures under it, including calendars, TV shows, workout videos, beauty products, wellness supplements and more. She is dating American musician Doyle Bramhall and has two adult kids, Flynn and Cy, from a previous relationship.

Shek founded her swimwear line in 2019, with the idea of creating sustainable, high-quality and flattering suits as her focus. Padma Lakshmi, Sixtine, Jennifer Atilémile, Mady Dewey, Olivia Ponton and Leyna Bloom have all donned pieces from Navy Ray for various SI Swimsuit features and events.

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